Hoop-making machine



Septv. 16 1924.

R. H. NORTON ET AL HOOP MAKING MACHINE Filed Feb. 10 1921 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 'Ill/Il Tufen Sept 16 1924 1,508,570 R. H. NORTON ET Al.

Hoo? MAKING'MACHINE Filed Feb. l0. 1921 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 sepf.'16,19z4. 1,508,570

R. H. NORTCN ET AL Hoo? MAKING MACHINE Filed Feb. l0. 1921 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 16 y1924.

R. H. NoR'roNr-:T A1.

HOOP MAKING MACHINE Filed Feb. 10V. 1921 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 ldlilll.. 1

sept. 16. 1924. 1,508,570

fR. H. NORTON ET AL Hoor MAKING MACHINE I Filed Feb. 1o. 1921 7 sheets-sheet s 'a 91pm.

Sept. 16 ,1924,

R. H. NORTON ET AL HOOP MAKING MACHINE sept. 1e, 1924. I 1,508,570

R. H. NORTON ET AL HOOP MAKING MACHINE Filed Feb- 10. 1921 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 c Pnenteasepr. 16,1924.

UNITED STATES RALPH H. NORTON, 0F CHICAGO, AND WILLIAM C. FORK,

1,508,570 ine-Ti-:NT4 ori-Teaor HISDALE, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNORS T0 ACME STEEL GOODS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- TION OF ILLINOIS.

HOOP-MAKING MACHINE.

and at Hinsdale, in the county of Du Page' and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoop- Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.. v

The main object of the present invention is to increase the speed of production in turning. out metal hoops beaded along one edge and ready for riveting of overlapped ends', and We accomplish this by running the stock through on a straight line, the same being continuously drawn from a reel and intermittently advanced and stoppedl for punching and cutting oli operationsA and then the punched length of stock being advanced, followed by an iii-coming fresh length to be cut from the stock continuously fed from the reel, the preceding cut of piece advancing to beading devices and passing on through a series of them and then being curled into hoop form and ejected.

In the accompanying drawings -which form part of this specification we exhibit an example of 'a train of mechanisms for carrying out our invention andshall presently describe the same in 'sufficient detail to fully inform any one skilled in the art. Of said drawings Fig. 1 represents in front elevation that portion of the machine which does intermittent feeding and punching and cutting oil' of the stock; Fig. 2 is a detail .cross-section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional plan taken substantially on line 3--3 of lFig. 1; Fig. 4

is a partial vertical longitudinal section of mechanism at the right-hand portion of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 represents a piece of stock as punched and cut off and trimmed; Fig.- 6

is a vertical cross-section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a sectional rear elevation of certain parts appearing-in front elevation at the upper left-hand portion of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a section taken on the-line 8-8 ofF1g. 7 Fig. 9 is a front elevation of that portion of the machine which does the beading of the cut length of stock after it has been -punched and advanced;b11`ig.l 10. jis. ax vertical cross-section Application mea February 1o, 1921. sriai 116,443,771. I*

taken substantially' onpthe line 10-10 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a detail sectional plan View showing a pairof horizontal beading rows; Fig. 12` is a vertical section of the same; Fig. 13 is a detail sectional plan View showing certain guide yrollers; F ig.. 14 is a cross-section taken on the line 14--14 of Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a continuation of, Figs; land 9 showing in front elevation that portion of the machine which does the curling of the beaded piece of stock into the' form of a hoop; Fig. 16 is a general sectional plan view of the whole machine being on the order of Fig. 3 with the section line .rimning below most of the mechanism; Fig. 17 shows the cut oli' piece of stock in itsflat unbeaded form; Figs. 18 to 21 illustrate the successive beading operations; Fig. 22 shows the product as it emerges from the machine; and Fig. 23 shows a completed hoop.

The machine is erected upon a suitable supporting bed2 and at the end where the stock is received from the reel a carriage 3 is mounted to slide on the bed as effected by the turning of a long screw/1 which runs through a nut 5 secured to one end of the carriage and is confined in a suitable bearing at the end of the supporting bed where a crank may be applied. This movable carriage carries intermittent feed mechanism and cut-off and punching mechanisms, the stock coming from the reel being-fed through a guideway on Ithe carriage and run past the same for the simultaneous action thereon of similar feeding and punching mechanism on a stationary carriage. The purpose of having the carriage 3 adjustable is to make the machine capable of dealing with a variety of lengths of pieces for varied sizes of hoops and provision is correspondingly made for regulating the intermittent feed as efffectedby mechanism ony the adjustable carnage.

Describing now the equipment of the movable carriage and referring particularly tc Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the numeral 7 designates a guideway for the stock, the same being made up of top and bottom plates land lmarginal spacing strips so as to provide a `central passaglelway through which the stock may smoot y run. This guideway'extends from end to end of the carriage -and has openings' feed ro gear wheel 10 on whose shaft is a bevel gear wheel 11 that meshes` with a driving bevel gear wheel 12 splined on a drive shaft 13 running through the carriage and operated in the manner hereinafter pointed out. The

lower feed roller 9 is carried in a vertically swinging bracket 14 pivoted to-the under art of the carriage 3 and connectedvby a rod 15 with a bell crank lever 16 pivoted to aframe bracket at the up er partof the carriage and having a rol er V17 running agamst a cam on a shaft 18 1n bearings on y the upper head of the carriage and driven from the same pinion which drives the upper feed roller, said shaft 18 having a gear wheel 19 in mesh with the gearwheel 10. The two feed rollers are geared together by appropriateg'ears 8b and 9* upon their respective shafts (Fig. 4) and the rising and falling motion of the lower gear wheel is not of suflicient extent to interfere with proper and continued intermeshing of these gears through which motionfis transmitted from the upper. feed roller to they lower. The before-mentioned cam for effecting the rising and falling motion of the lower feed roller (through the medium .of the bell crank lever 16 andthe connecting rod 15) 1s' made in two parts to regulate the feed of the stock according to the length of the piece to be cut off. Thus it comprises two disks 20 and 21 (Fig. 1), the latter having arcuatev slots through which bolts extend screwing into the other disk 2O whose hub is keyed to the shaft 18. (This construction is not separately detailed in the drawings bc- -cause it is identical with that of another cam full illustrated by Fi s.'7 and 8 and descri ed hereinafter). -elative adjustment of these cam disks determines the lengths of the high and low parts ofthe cam structure .and so regulates the duration of feeding engagement of the rollers with the stock.

The before-mentioned upperpart or head of the slide 3, designated in general by the numeral 3, is provided at the front with a vertical slideway in which i a plunger 23 operates, the same having a wrist pin for a pitman plate 24 which at its upper end is strapped around an eccentric25 on the shaft 18. In a. suitable holder 23b at the lowen end of the plunger there are secured two punches 26 in tandem and a knife 27. These work through vopenings in the top plate of the guideway 7 as shown in Fi 4, and the bottom of the guideway at this point is formed by a die-block 28 having openings to receive the punches and a cutting edge pastwhich the knife 27 works. The dieblock is held in place by set `screws 29 which run through a holder piece30 bolted to a in advance of the latter shelf of the carriage 3. '(Fig.' 3.) The knife 27 has acurved edge and the coacting edge of the die-block 28 is complementally formed, the object being to cut off the stock with a curved end as shown in Fig. 5 Iso as to avoid a sharp corner where the ends of the hoop lap along the unbeaded edge.

(Fig.`23.) The knife and die-block so form.

the back end of the piece andv of course leave a complemental formation on the end of the stock which is next to be advanced and will constitute the front end of the `next piece to be cut. This forward end is operated upon by a similar knife and die-block of an assembly substantially duplicating that already described, such assembly being located (Fig. 1), and the two working together so that the stock is simultaneously punched at the ends' of the length which is to constitute the hoop, cut off at the rear end and trimmed at'the forward end.

A piece 23a secured to the plunger 23 and is operated by a spring actuated rod aligned with holes in the guideway 7 so that when no counter 31 is carried on al bracket stock is in the guideway the rod will sim- A of this section of the guideway are slotted in their ends and the plates of the first section 7 of the guideway vare made with tongues 7" (Fig. 3) to fit said slots, so vas to constitute a slip joint. `Thereis a similar construction where the intermediate section 7 a of the guideway .joins with the section 7 c overlying the table 32 so as to provide for further extension of the guideway, and if occasion arising for accommodating the machine to greater lengths of hoop pieces than these slip joints would provide for, then the intermediate'section 7a can 'be removedv and a longer section substituted for it. y

Inasmuch as the second assembly so largely duplicates that already described it will be unnecessary to give a detailed description of it. Numerals 33 and 34 designate gearedtogether feed rollers, 35 the pivoted holder for the lower feed roller, 36- the connecting rod, 37 the bell crank lever and 38 its operating cam which is not required to have the sectional construction of the cam of the first assembly. The latter suflices for regulation of the feed to the length .of the piece.

The cam 38 is timed to make the lrollers 33 and 34 grip the cut-oil' piece a little ahead of the gripping of the stock by the rollers 8 and 9, or the rollers 33 and 34 are slightly speeded through gear ratios, or both expedients may be resorted to, for the purpose of causing the cut-offl piece to jump ahead when the feed of the stock is resumed upon withdrawal of the punches and the knives, avoiding any posslbility of a rear-end collision between the. on-coming stock and the cut-E piece, and also ensuring ample spacing to allow of-interposition of a stop which checks the oncoming stock as hereinafter described.

The drive for both these assemblies, comes from a pulley 40 on the shaft of the upper lfeed roller 33, said shaft having a gear 41 meshing with an intermediate 42 which is compounded with a bevel gear 43,' the latter 4meshing with a bevel gear 44-on the shaft 13. lThe cam shaft 45 `has a gear 46 meshing with the intermediate 42 and carries an eccentric to work the punch plunger 49. Here the relative location of punches and cutolf knife 5l is the reverse of that of the punches 26 and knife 27 and the curve of the knife 51 and of the die-block 52 with which it cooperates is correspondingly re- -versed for the trimming of the advance end of the piece to give it the curvedy form as shown in Fig. 5. v

In connection with this second mechanical assembly of the machine there is to be found "a special element which functions conspicuously in connection with the underlying principle of the invention, that is to Say 'the continuous straight-line progress of the work through the machine. This element takes the form of a properlytimed` stop for ensuring the correct positioningI of the measured length of stock for the punching and cutting oil' and trimming operations. A stop c'am 60 is pivoted over the guideway 7 c where the latter overhangs thwej table 32 and this arm extends to a point adjacent the trimming knife 5l and terminates in a downwardly directed finger occupying an opening in the toplplate of the guideway and tending by its gravity andhat of connected parts to drop against the bottom of the guideway interposing itself in the path of the on-coming stock. The stop arm is connected by arod 61 with a bell crank lever 62, thev upper arm of which carries a roller 63 running againstva cam on the shaft 45. The conformation and timing of this cam are such as to cause the lifting of the stop arm to remove its finger frm the path of the stock alo-ng with the withdrawal of the punches 50 and trimming knife 51, and then to permit the finger` to dropso that as soon as the rear end. of the passing piece of stock goes bythe linger will intercept the oli-coming stock and here it will be re- .a space for the stop lor disk-like roller 75.

Thence the l is portrayed.

Q Y called that the cut piece is jumped ahead of the on-coming stock which will insure linger to occupy for arresting the new length of stock in its measured advance by the feed rollers.

fVariation in the timing of thestop-arm is provided for by making the cam in two parts 64 and 65 64 having arcuate slots 64a which receive clamping bolts 65a that screw into the outer piece cam may be employed like thev cam 38, for the stop finger might be let drop (Figs. 7 and 8), the disk upon the passing piece of stock as the latter starts on and then drop further in front of thez on-comingl stock when the rear end of.`

the cut-ofi' piece passes the linger.

The feed rollers 33 and 34 ass the cutoli" and trimmed and punchedp piece on to the beading assembly which will next be described.

Beyond the table 32 there is another table erected upon the base 2 and the section 7c of the stock guideway leads over one end. of this table as shown in Fig. 9. In suitable frame pieces 7l erected upon this table are journaled shafts 72 their outer ends the flrst of a series of beading rollers set vertically and comprising a grooved upper roller7 4 and a coacting plain As the piece of stock passes between these rollers one edge is bent to a moderate degree at an angle as illustrated insFig. 18. The piece is passed to a second and similar pair of rollers 77, 78 which further bendthe edge as illustrated in Fig. 19. piece passes over one of a pair of horizontally arranged rollers, the male one 79 of which has a "rounded rib or flange at the top andthe female one 8O of which has a complemental groove and an overhanging and 73 which carry at fiange as most clearly shown in Fig. 2O

where the action of these horizontal rollers in the turning under of the bend made by the first and second pairs of beading rollers The beading operation is completed by a pair of vertically set rollers'83, 84, the upper one being recessed and the lower one shouldered as clearly shown in Fig. 21, so that the turned under bend of the piece as leftby the horizontal rollerswill be closed up into` a rounded bead as shown in Fig. 21.

The piece is properly guided between, the

first and second`sets of beading rollers by an attachmentmounted upon ashelf 70a of the .i

table 70 (Figs. 13 and 14) com rising a base block 89 bolted to the shelf, s ouldered strips 9.0 bolted together and to said base block and spaced apart to form a passageway for the Hatpart of the piece, and a -pair of adjustable rolls 92 set opposite said space and against whose slightly concave peripheries the edge of the piece will run. These rolls are'mounted on brackets 93 pvllO' 75 disk 65., This is not essential and a single 95 put through their flanges and engaging l and 117 carrying l carries a large gear mesh with the gear direction to advance tapped holes in the said block.

The horizontal beading rollers 79 and 80 ,f

are carried upon journaled studs 96 (Fig.y 12) embraced by adjustable boxes 97 and extending lthrough slots in'a base piece'98 supported on bracket 7 0b of the table 70. Set screws 99 serve for adjustment of the said boxes, and clamping nuts 100 are applied to the Ilowerl screw-threaded ends 4of the studs. In the Short space between the bite of the rollers 77, 78 and that 'of the rollers 79, 80 a 0'uideway 101 is mounted upon the base piece 98, similar in character to the before described guideway 90, and beyond the said'rolleis 79, 80, between the same and the final rollers there is a similar guideway 103 and herealso a guide roll 10ft is mounted similar to the before described rolls 92 being carried by an adjustable bracket 105 similar to the bracket 93.

The horizontal beading rollers have no drive applied to them but run idly, whereas the three sets of vertical rollers are driven andl constitute feed rollers aS well asbeading rollers.v The shafts 7 2' and 73 carrying the rollers 7 4 and 75 are connected by` gears 107, 108 (Fig. 10) and the upper shaft carries a large gear wheel 1.09. The shafts 110 and 111 carrying the rollers 77 and 78 aresimilarly geared together and the -lower shaft carries a large gear wheel 112which meshes with the gear wheel 109 and is engaged bya driving pinion 113 on a drive shaft 114 carrying a pulley 115 (Figs. 9 and 10). The shafts 116 the rollers 83, 84 are likewise geared together vand the upper shaft wheel which iS in wheel 112. Obviously this` arrangement of gearing provides for drivingr all three sets of rollers in the proper the piece of stock. Upon emerging from between the last set of beading rollers the piece goes through a short section of. guideway 7d mounted on'a shelf at the end of the table 70 and thence into a continuation 7 of the guideway carried upon a bracket 7 0c projecting from the end' of the table and supporting at its outer end suitable bearings for curling rolls yof which there are three in triangular relationship and designated respectively, 125,126 and 127. The latter is on a shaft 128 carrying a sprocket wheel 129 connected by a chain 130 with a sprocket wheel 131 on the shaft 117. The roll shaft 128` also carries a gear 133 which meshes with a similar gear 134 on the shaft of the roll 126. The troll is an idler and the beaded length ofstock emerging from the guideway 7 rides over it and strikes ,the rotating 1011.127'l and' is deflected thereby and then strikes the" other rotating vroll 126 which further bends it, the conjoint so/that it will be delivered in hoop form labout as illustrated in Fig. 22.

A suitable catcher and stacking structure 'l 150 is arranged in proper relation `to the curlin rolls so as to receive each hoop as it is fina ly ejected from them and stack the hoops for convenient removal in batches.

Fig. 23 illustrates the completed hoop with its overlapped ends rivoted'together through the holes cut at the beginning of the series of operations.

We claim:

1. In a machine for making hhoops, the i combination of intermittent feeding, punching and cut-off mecha nism,

check definitely the measured advance of the stock, said stop member being movable transversely to the path of travel of the stock,

and adapted to means for periodically then restoring the stop anism to which the is fed past said stop member upon with` the said machine having a drawal thereof, continuous straight engage the end thereof,

withdrawing and member, cut-ofi` piece of stock runway for lthe stock from the point of entrance to the. point of discharge from said other Ymechanism. 2. In 'a machine for making hoops,

the

combination of tandem punching and feedving heads,

ing mechanism each having feed rollers and drivtherefor and' timing means periodically disengaging rollers from stock,

and punch mechanism,

one head having a cut-olf knife; a movable stop beyond the punching mechanism of definitely checking the thevother head for measured advance of the. stock; ineens associated with the mechanism of that head drawing said stop; and

for periodically withother mech.

a stop member to a beading mecha.- I

nism to which the cut-ofi' piece of-stock is fed upon withdrawal of machine having way for to the mechanism.

point of discharge from said stop member ;l the a continuous straight runthe stock from the .point of entrance the beading l 3. In a machine for making hoops, the combination of tandem punching and feeding heads, one longitudinally adJustable relative to the other and each having feed rollers and driving mechanism therefor andA timing means periodically disengaging rollers from stock, and

punch mechanism, one

headv having a cut-olf knife; a movable stop beyond the punchingmechanism of the other head for definitely checking the measured advance of the stock;

the mechanism of that means associated with head for periodically withdrawing said stop ,and a beading mechanism to which the cut-olf piece of stock is --fed upon withdrawal of said stop member;

the machiney having vrun-,way for the sto entrance to the point beading mechanism,

a continuous straight ck from the point of of discharge from the with provisions for stock, and punch mechamsm, one head hav' inga rounded cut-0H knife and the other a slmllar reversed trimming knife; a movable stop beyond the punchlng and trimming mechanism of the other head for definitely checking the measured advance of the stock; means associated with the mechanism of that head for periodically withdrawing said stop; and a eading mechanism to whlch the cut-off piece of stock is fed upon withdrawal .of said stop member; the machine having a continuous straight run-Way'` for the'stock from the point of entrance to the point of discharge from the beadin mechanism.

5. In a machine for ma ing hoops, the

r combination of tandem punching and feedlng heads, each having feed hrollers and driving mechanism therefor and timing means periodically disengaging rollers from stock, and punch mechanism, one head having a cut-off knife; a movable stop beyond the punching mechanism of the other head for definitely checking the measured advance of the stock; means associated with the mechanism of thathead for periodically Withdrawing said stop; and a beading mechanism to which the cut-ofi' piece of stock is fed upon withdrawal of said stop member; the machine having a continuous straight run-Way for the stock from the point of entrance to the point of discharge from the 6. In a machine for making hoops, the

combinationof tandem punching and feedin heads, each of said heads having feed ro ers and ldriving mechanism therefor and timingv means per1odically disenga g said rollers from the stock being f `punch mechanism carried b each of said heads, a cut-ofi'l knife carried y one of said heads, a movable stop member beyond the punching mechanism of the other head for deinitel checking the measured `advance of the stoc and means associated with'the mechanism of thatlhead for said stop. v 7 In a machine formaking hoops, the combination of tandem punching and feeding heads, each of said heads having feed periodically withdrawing rollers and driving mechanism therefor and.

timing means periodically disengaging said rollers from the stock being fed, punch mechanism carried by each of said heads, a cut-off knife carried by one of-said heads, a movable stop member beyond the punching mechanism ofthe other head for definitely checking the measured advance of the stock and means associatedl with the mechanism of that head for pleriodically withdrawing said stop, said mac ine having a..continuous Vstrai ht run-way extending between said punc ing and feeding heads with means for elongating said run-way to permit relative i adjustment of said heads.

RALPH Hrnonrorr WILLIAM o. FoRK. 

